Hark Upon the Green

Sustainability at The College of William and Mary


Herb Garden

Those of you in Williamsburg this summer should make sure to stop by the Commons cafeteria at some point to see the wonderful new herb garden planted this past April. A collaborative effort by COS, Campus Kitchens, and Dining Services, the garden will provide a number of herbs to the on-campus dining locations and serve as an educational tool for students interested in sustainable food production and gardening. Read more at the Sustainability at W&M site.

Summer Sustainability at W&M

It’s been quite a while, hasn’t it? Some technical difficulties and the rigors of finishing up the first year of the Sustainability Fellowship can keep a man from his blog for some time. That said, I’d like to get back in the swing of things with a quick update as to what’s going on here on campus during the summer months.

Our annual summer research grants were awarded for the second time in April, and the students should be starting their work in the coming week or two. We usually only fund four students for summer research through the Green Fees, but this year’s applicant pool was so strong that we decided to fund an extra research project. I’m very excited to see what the students can create during their weeks here this summer.

The students (and their research topics) are:

  • Amanda Anderson ’11: green roof design
  • Max Cunningham ’13: a comprehensive transportation plan for W&M
  • Jane Gray Morris ’13: public space construction in the W&M sustainable gardens
  • Jamison Shabanowitz ’12: an e-recycling program
  • Alexandra Volpert ’11: reducing nutrient loading in Lake Matoaka

We’ll also be welcoming our new Sustainability Fellow in July. Before I take my leave, however, I hope to help the interns get started on their great research, finalize my sustainable procurement guidelines, and put together a final report on W&M’s great progress over the past year. I’ll be back soon with more posts on what’s new in sustainability at W&M.

Until then!